A spirited discussion about how Rye Town Council can engage with local people took up much of the council's meeting on Monday, March 24. Discussions at the town hall also included the latest on Rye Leisure Centre, local government reorganisation, and a unanimous vote for Cllr Hoggart to continue as deputy mayor for another year.
Along with councillors, the deputy clerk, town crier Paul Goring and Revd Paul White, the meeting was attended by two representatives from both Rye Chamber of Commerce and Rye News, Anthony Kimber from Rye Neighbourhood plan, and four members of the public.
Leading the discussion on engaging with the public Cllr Hansen told the meeting the council should do more. "This isn't about apologizing for ourselves, it's about shouting about what we do. People talk about 'the council' but they could mean us, Rother or East Sussex. We need to talk about the positive things that are happening and encourage more participation."
The discussion appears to have been prompted by Rye News coverage of the annual town meeting earlier this month. Cllr Hansen took issue with the paper's suggestion it was poorly attended, a point backed up by Cllr Fiddimore. "Our first meeting had 16 people, now we have between 85 and 100. We have tried to find all sorts of ways to engage, but most people just want us to get on with our work. Rye News has limited readership so we should do more on Facebook."
Support for the paper came from Mayor Andy Stuart and Cllr Creaser, who told fellow councillors: "Rye News does a fantastic job in keeping everyone informed, but a lot of our residents are not tech savvy. We are approachable and we do communicate. The change to the format of the annual meeting meant more people could talk to us. Not everyone wants to stand up at a meeting."
"We've been here before," said Cllr Boyd, "and not for the point of trying. The mayor's speech at the meeting gave such a good update on what we all do and people will share what they learnt. As councillors we are known people and people do talk to us."
Cllr Hughes shared how people talk to her on the community bus. "They tell us their concerns but perhaps we should do a print digest and share it on the bus. With all the uncertainty in local government we need to do more."
The changes were also mentioned by Cllr Hoggart. "It's important we do engage with local people. It will be good for our town and help stop it being marginalized by the changes."
Cllr Brookless said 100 people at the meeting was good. "Unlike previous years there was no angry reason to protest. Our job is to get our views across and my role is to interact with constituents."
A lack of engagement from younger people was an issue said Cllr Thorpe. "There is a lack of understanding about what Rye Town Council does. We need to update the website and make it more engaging - like the one Battle has. We need to do more on social media and discuss how we might work with Fixtures."
The discussion ended with Cllr Hansen tasked to collate views to bring back to the council in the future.
There may be a further council meeting on Monday, March 31. It could be called if there are urgent Leisure Centre transfer-related matters to consider. A decision on whether it is necessary for the meeting to take place will be made during the evening of Sunday, March 30. On Tuesday, April 1 Rye Town Council officially takes over a twenty-year lease on the Centre. We'll have a full report on the changes next week.
What do you think? How can Rye Town Council engage more with local people to encourage participation, discussion and decision making in Rye. Email us at info@ryenews.org.uk or leave a comment below.
